Let’s be blunt about this, folks: the Calgary Flames looked pretty rough for a good part of October.

The Flames got themselves out to a 1-7-1 start. And while they weren’t that bad for much of that first nine game stretch, you can also make a good case that they weren’t all that good either. A team that was defined in 2024-25 by a stifling, structured checking system, strong goaltending and capitalizing on their opponents’ mistakes was, well, doing (and getting) very few of those things.

The checking system had frequent, untimely breakdowns. Dustin Wolf, who received Hart and Vezina Trophy consideration in 2024-25 as a rookie, couldn’t cover up these lapses with big saves. And because the Flames were often chasing games, they lacked the structural discipline in those early games to induce opponents to make mistakes, let alone capitalize on them.

So the Flames’ 5-1 home win over Columbus on Wednesday night felt like progress on a lot of fronts.

Every single skater on the Flames was on the ice for an even strength goal scored. (Rasmus Andersson and Yan Kuznetsov were both on for two.) Every single forward line scored a goal at even strength. Five different players scored goals, including Nazem Kadri scoring in his 1,000th NHL game. 12 different players registered points, including Yan Kuznetsov’s first NHL point.

On Oct. 18, the Flames visited Vegas and lost 6-1, running their record to 1-5-0.

Since that shellacking, they’ve generally played some good hockey. In the nine games since Oct. 20, the Flames have put together eight pretty good games – the exception being their 4-2 loss in Nashville. Sure, they’ve found ways to lose sometimes, posting a 3-4-2 record in that span, but they’ve been looking more and more like themselves.

Or at least a version of team that we were expecting to see this season.

“Well, just, you know, pucks are starting to go in, so, you know, we just got to stay with our way that we play and playing hard,” said Flames forward Blake Coleman after Wednesday’s win. “And we thought, you know, a lot of those games that we weren’t winning earlier in the year or a couple weeks ago, we deserved better fates in. You know, we knew eventually it would turn. That’s just the way the game works. And we’re starting to get some bounces now and make some plays. And, you know, we can’t get away from what makes us a good team. And, you know, it feels good to start getting some wins. And usually that’s a contagious feeling in the room and we can build on it.”

The Flames are making progress, but their game isn’t flawless. Their five-on-five play is coming along, and they’re out-scoring their opponents 20-11 over the past nine games and getting good goaltending from Dustin Wolf (.920 save percentage at 5v5) and Devin Cooley (.940). But their special teams remain a work in progress, and the power play and penalty kill combined have been out-scored 8-4 by the opposition, which includes a couple shorthanded goals against – they allowed one against Columbus,

But Wednesday’s game is something for the Flames to build upon as they try to climb back towards the playoff pack.

“For the goal-scoring side of things, for sure, it’s nice to see guys get rewarded,” said head coach Ryan Huska of Wednesday’s balanced offensive contributions. “There’s, as you mentioned, different people tonight, which is another good thing for us. Goaltender was excellent again. I just think you piece it together as you go, and we’re very much in a ‘whatever our next game up is’ mentality right now, and we have to try to catch the team that’s in front of us. And that’s our mindset. That’s the way we have to be right now.”

The Flames return to action on Friday night when they host the Chicago Blackhawks.